Arvind Kejriwal released after detention over protest at Delhi Chief Minister's home

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Arvind Kejriwal and around 200 party supporters were released hours after they were detained by the Delhi Police on Friday for protesting outside Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit's residence.

The supporters had reached the Chief Minister's house at 3 Motli Lal Nehru Marg around 8 am to protest against a demolition drive in Shaheen Bagh colony in south Delhi and were detained around 12.30 pm.

The protesters, raising slogans against the government, were demanding that they be allowed to meet Mrs Dikshit.

"We detained Mr Kejriwal and his supporters outside the Chief Minister's house and took them to the Parliament Street police station," a senior police officer said.

Among those detained were AAP leaders Manish Sisodia and Kumar Vishwas and also people whose properties were demolished.

A Delhi government official said the demolition drive was done on the orders of the Delhi High Court to remove illegal structures erected on Delhi Development Authority land. But an AAP leader said the demolition drive had displaced around 500 families.

"It is their land. They have documents of it. But it is unauthorised because you have to get the map passed by the government," Mr Kejriwal said during the protest. He said it was announced in October 2010 that 1,600 colonies would be regularised in Delhi and this colony was one of them.

"Despite that, 500 houses were demolished," Kejriwal said.

Mr Kejriwal also submitted a memorandum to Delhi's lieutenant governor Tejendra Khanna demanding an inquiry into the demolition drive.